A strong cold front will hit most parts of central and eastern China over the coming two days, bringing sharp temperature drops and winds, meteorological authorities said Monday.

Temperatures will fall 6 to 10 degrees Celsius in north China's Shaanxi Province, Guizhou Province, eastern parts of Yunnan Province, Chongqing Municipality and areas along the Yangtze River, the China Meteorological Administration said in a statement on its website.

Temperatures will drop even more, by 12 to 16 degrees Celsius, in southeastern parts of north China and in parts of areas near the Yangtze and Huaihe rivers, the statement said.

The cold air will also cause gusty winds in China's coastal regions.

Taihu Lake has been closed to boats for 18 hours since 5:30 p.m. Sunday due to gusty winds, said Taihu Maritime Safety Office.

All vessels were ordered to keep off the lake during the bad weather and a round-the-clock patrol was launched to ensure all boats were following the order.

In the following three days, light to moderate snow or sleet will fall in parts of northeast China, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions, as well as in provinces of Qinghai and Gansu.

Parts of Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces will experience snowstorms.

Another cold front will sweep northern parts of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from Wednesday night and will move eastwards quickly to affect more areas of north China.